Health & Wellness News

The bunch, joined by a dozen more people with signs at nearby intersections, lay along the sidewalk for a “die-in” at Third and Wyandotte Park along Route 378 North.

Members of Easton's Blueprint Communities organization announced their first project, a mural at Chubby's honoring South Side's past, present, and future, on Monday afternoon.

Northampton County and Northampton Community College will offer a free workplace safety training later this month aimed at employees of municipal governments, nonprofits and similar organizations.

The funding, through the Livable Landscape program, was unanimously approved at the county council’s June 18 meeting.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Proposed federal budget cuts would impact programs such as the free summer meal program for children in the Allentown School District.

The $2.75 million payment to the federal government resolves allegations that a pharmacy technician stole controlled substances on about 40 occasions and the health network failed to institute proper controls.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

A generous donation from a Lehigh Valley native and others funds free swim lessons for children and adults in the River Crossing YMCA's Safety Around Water, or SAW, swim education program.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

US Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District, and USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small visited the Greater Valley YMCA in Pen Argyl on Thursday for the kickoff of its Summer Nutrition Program.

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom participated in the “World’s Largest Swim Lesson" along with pools across the country. The event drew children from across the Lehigh Valley on the hot, sunny day.

The American Red Cross is warning people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses as a heat wave sweeps the Lehigh Valley. They say a few simple tips can help save lives.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild visited Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest to show support for the $35 price cap on most inhalers. Two companies' caps went into effect June 1, with a third expected to follow.

Those needing a cardiac ablation now can get one using the latest technology in Bethlehem. St. Luke's now conducts pulsed field ablations, which its says is safer and faster than previous form of the procedure.

Just about everything appears to be in order in regard to an agreement between Easton officials and the school district to revamp Vanderveer Park.

Pushed by the pandemic, backyard gardens are hotter than ever. One Bethlehem man starts months before the weather is right.

Bethlehem Health Bureau now has a mobile health clinic. The bus will bring healthcare to city residents closer to where they live.

Youth bicyclists and their mentors traveled from across the country to learn and extend their network at the 2024 National Youth Bike Summit at Muhlenberg College this weekend.

Temperatures could reach the low 90s on Monday, with widespread highs in the 90s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Lehigh County funded Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services, or MARS, opened a new substance abuse-related treatment center in Allentown on Friday.The FORT program (Families Obtaining Recovery Together) will join the slate of treatment options offered, making this groundbreaking program available to more Lehigh County residents free of charge.

Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill that would guarantee access to assisted reproductive technology. The effort came a day after Democrats blocked a Republican effort to penalize states that attempt to ban invitro fertilization treatments.